Permit denied for Lady Gaga's show in Indonesia

By Hindustan Times

Pop star Lady Gaga may have to cancel a concert in the Indonesian capital after police declined to give a permit for the show amid protests from Islamic groups. Islamic organisations have said the 26-year-old singer's style puts the Muslim country's morality at risk. Protesters say they have a particular dislike of what they termed a provocative manner of dress and dance by Lady Gaga that should be considered un-Islamic.

"There is fear of the concert's consequences, especially from her sexy way of dressing," an unnamed police official told the al-Arabiya news channel.

The June 3 leg of the Born This Way Ball tour sold out in around two hours when tickets went on sale in March.

Cholil Ridwan, chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulema -- the country's highest Islamic authority on morality -- said he had never watched the singer perform and only heard of her "reputation" second-hand, but that the concert intended to destroy Indonesia's morality.